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The North American reactionaries are championing Gillard as a brave, stalwart presence in the face of un-christian radicalism - THIS showed up in my facebook feed today:

W O W ! She Did It
Again!!!

Australia says NO -- This will be the second Time Julia Gillard has done this!

She sure isn't backing down on her hard line stance and one has to appreciate her belief in the rights of her native countrymen.

A breath of fresh air to see someone lead.� Australian Prime Minister does it again!!

The whole world needs a leader like this!

Prime Minister Julia Gillard - Australia

Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia, as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks.

...

Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.'

....

NOTE: IF we circulate this amongst ourselves in Canada & USA , WE will find the courage to start speaking and voicing the same truths.

If you agree please SEND THIS ON and ON, to as many people as you know...

what a hero

__________________“ it has become my conviction that things mean pretty much what we want them to mean. We’ll pluck significance from the least consequential happenstance if it suits us and happily ignore the most flagrantly obvious symmetry between separate aspects of our lives if it threatens some cherished prejudice or cosily comforting belief"
-Iain Banks

__________________“ it has become my conviction that things mean pretty much what we want them to mean. We’ll pluck significance from the least consequential happenstance if it suits us and happily ignore the most flagrantly obvious symmetry between separate aspects of our lives if it threatens some cherished prejudice or cosily comforting belief"
-Iain Banks

I thought this was the collection bin for posts about Gillard being trash?

I am telling you her infection is spreading into sympathetic quarters of north america

Geez - it's like pulling teeth with you Alfie!

__________________“ it has become my conviction that things mean pretty much what we want them to mean. We’ll pluck significance from the least consequential happenstance if it suits us and happily ignore the most flagrantly obvious symmetry between separate aspects of our lives if it threatens some cherished prejudice or cosily comforting belief"
-Iain Banks

Prediction: Julia will step in and reinstate the payments - like a knight in shining armour. She is in a position to do so now and be the hero as all bets are off regarding a surplus (which was the only reason for the cuts in the first place). Sadly for them, Macklin and Swan will be left looking like fools - but it wouldn't be the first time she has left others holding the bag.

__________________“ it has become my conviction that things mean pretty much what we want them to mean. We’ll pluck significance from the least consequential happenstance if it suits us and happily ignore the most flagrantly obvious symmetry between separate aspects of our lives if it threatens some cherished prejudice or cosily comforting belief"
-Iain Banks

Well there is a kernel of truth - that christianists up here are using to argue for anti-muslim policy stances...

The interesting part isn't the particular actions of the PM with respect to "sharia law" - whatever those might be, but the way Gillard is being portrayed by these people up here as taking a courageous stand for Christians our politicians should look to emulate.

I imagine the truth of the matter is less important to these people than The Truth, if you catch my drift.. I thought you might get a kick out of seeing that ripple effect hit social media networks in North America, much like us Canucks like to hear other people talk about us... you know, middle power disease and all..

__________________“ it has become my conviction that things mean pretty much what we want them to mean. We’ll pluck significance from the least consequential happenstance if it suits us and happily ignore the most flagrantly obvious symmetry between separate aspects of our lives if it threatens some cherished prejudice or cosily comforting belief"
-Iain Banks

JOHN Howard has been overwhelmingly backed as the country's best prime minister of the past quarter of a century in a new poll, which ranks Julia Gillard last.

Cannot agree about Howard.
A Prime Minister that did nothing with the rivers of money except tax cuts and middle class welfare. Look at our mess now with a lack of technological and transport infrastructure.
A Prime Minister that took us into the most immoral war that we have ever been in, (Iraq).
The Prime Minister with the most profligate wasteful spending in recent decades following analysis by the IMF.
A Prime Minister that had no compunction to divide the country and demonise people for his own political gain.

First the Gillard party kicks and screams about releasing information that they promised they would furnish. When they are finally compelled to, they announce an embarrassingly small amount ($120mil in the first six months against a projected $2bil in its first year), and to add to the farce Swannie still tries and spin it as a positive.

It wouldn't matter at all I guess except they have already spent what they were expecting to receive.

She has run out of money and needs more, she has spent too much and made too many promises against too little income. Her taxes like the MMRT and Carbon tax will realise only the merest fraction of what was estimated now and in the future. Yet the commitments against that promised income have been made will remain (eg the disability insurance scheme and carbon tax compensation payments).

There is a lot of money just sitting there waiting to be harvested for a greedy government. Is retirement looming? Even if it's not you should start to worry; your future is looking like being robbed.

So let me get this right, you promised a surplus and "failure was not an option". Now the very very skinny surplus has turned into a $22b deficit? And that's for just the first six months?!

Worlds greatest treasurer? Julia, seriously.... can you two even count?

What's that? Oh, the falling commodity prices are to blame? Not according to treasury:

Quote:

TREASURY secretary Martin Parkinson has admitted the design of the mining tax is responsible for its failure to generate revenue, not the falling commodity prices, higher currency and state royalties blamed by the government.

The tax free threshold was raised as part of the compensation for the carbon tax. People will not need compensation if the tax is not there. They will be no worse off under this arrangement.

Fail.

You stated my post here is "invalid". I have asked you to explain why and how.

Originally Posted by Akhenaten

I have no idea why.

Colour me not surprised.

Originally Posted by Hallo Alfie

The how is simply a matter of posting the same thing over and over, presumably in hope of a reaction.

Wrong.
It was claimed Abbott would roll back taxes making people worse off. I have explained why that wont be the case. This is not repeating in hope of a reaction.

Can you now explain in what way my counterclaim to something factually and demonstrably incorrect is "invalid"? Or are you simply playing diversion to others' ignorance (not for the first time either)?

Looks to me like Labor has done a good job, considering the state of the rest of the world's economies, including Western Nations. There is nothing wrong it, there a deficit this year of about 0.2%, which is meaningless except to those with a deficit fetish.

__________________Continually pushing the boundaries of mediocrity.
Everything is possible, but not everything is probable.
For if a man pretend to me that God hath spoken to him supernaturally, and immediately, and I make doubt of it, I cannot easily perceive what argument he can produce to oblige me to believe it. Hobbes

Why would you produce wiki (wiki, seriously?) when the Labor pamphlet goes to the heart of things?

Firstly.

Quote:

In these uncertain global times there’s no clearer sign of a strong economy than a surplus.

So other signs are secondary. A surplus is the "clearest", "in these times". Consequently no surplus contributes massively to our uncertainty.

But here's the gift that keeps on giving....

Quote:

We’ve delivered a surplus on time, as promised.

This is quite probably the biggest lie I can recall in Australian federal politics. It epitomises the level of the deceit that we have come to expect from this government, under this PM and treasurer. It is also a very good example of the contempt they have for the intelligence of the electorate.

Good economic managers would not have painted themselves into the corner they have:
- The carbon tax will not generate the income they projected - yet they have spent and or promised the money already.
- Ditto the MRRT
- The 'no ifs, no buts', 'failure is not an option' fudget surplus (that was fiddled within an inch of its life to just put on paper) now is being given ifs, buts and excuses.
- They lied, and lied and still lie.
- They fell arse backwards into a mining boom and still managed to stuff it up.

You can go by results, Australia's economy is just about the best performing on the whole globe, during the greatest economic crises since the Great Depression.

__________________Continually pushing the boundaries of mediocrity.
Everything is possible, but not everything is probable.
For if a man pretend to me that God hath spoken to him supernaturally, and immediately, and I make doubt of it, I cannot easily perceive what argument he can produce to oblige me to believe it. Hobbes

You can go by results, Australia's economy is just about the best performing on the whole globe, during the greatest economic crises since the Great Depression.

Correct. Labor has managed the nation's economy excellently. 12th largest economy in the world. This must stick in the craw of Gillard haters, who wish for economic armageddon, which will not happen. At least until Abbott and Hockey get their hands on Treasury......

__________________A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject.

She has her faults. This fear and loathing campaign is beyond rational and destructive to Australian democracy. I have observed question time, and it is treated like an ad for Crazy Johns phones. The opposition under Abbott fails to realise he is now hated just as much as the target of their venom for just that reason.

__________________Continually pushing the boundaries of mediocrity.
Everything is possible, but not everything is probable.
For if a man pretend to me that God hath spoken to him supernaturally, and immediately, and I make doubt of it, I cannot easily perceive what argument he can produce to oblige me to believe it. Hobbes

She has many. But please elaborate, I would love to know if we have some points of agreement.

Every PM has their faults, they are human after all.

__________________Continually pushing the boundaries of mediocrity.
Everything is possible, but not everything is probable.
For if a man pretend to me that God hath spoken to him supernaturally, and immediately, and I make doubt of it, I cannot easily perceive what argument he can produce to oblige me to believe it. Hobbes

Correct. Labor has managed the nation's economy excellently. 12th largest economy in the world. This must stick in the craw of Gillard haters, who wish for economic armageddon, which will not happen. At least until Abbott and Hockey get their hands on Treasury......

Abbott has successfully told people they are badly off, with the help of the Murdoch press. The fact is, new car sales are at record levels, housing prices are till high. On average, people are doing very well. A politician can never say that, of course.

__________________Continually pushing the boundaries of mediocrity.
Everything is possible, but not everything is probable.
For if a man pretend to me that God hath spoken to him supernaturally, and immediately, and I make doubt of it, I cannot easily perceive what argument he can produce to oblige me to believe it. Hobbes